She was sitting in her chair
In Carrabawn
In my father’s chair
As used to be
Listening to me
Going on and on
About my father
How he used to be
A good man and a kind man
And a gent
How I described him
As I rhapsodised
She smiled as she listened
To this torrent
Of praise for a man I idolised
Ironic smile I saw
Pass o’er her face
She knew him well enough
To add a gloss
When I’d finished
Rhapsodising the ‘ould feller’
My mother
Gave her reading of the boss
‘He was a good man and a kind man
And a gent’
She agreed with that and then she put the spin
‘But he liked his own way,’
She added nicely
‘His own way and a bag to put it in’
I roared with laughter
Hearing this home truth
And recognised
How accurate it felt
And when I’d finished laughing
Then she added
‘And I have to say
You’re a lot like him, your self.’
Brian Fahy
19 May 2021
Erris Poetry 